Why does Black absorb sunlight?

Question

I notice when I am in the sun my black pants seems be more hot than other color of my clothes, my white shirt wasnt hot as much as the black pants, so why is it the sun heats up black and dosent for white etc...

Answer 1

Light from the sun is a mixture of all visible colors as well as some invisible colors such as infrared and ultraviolet. We say an object has a certain color because when white light (such as sunlight) falls on it, only certain colors are reflected and the rest are absorbed. Something which absorbs every color doesn't reflect any light (or at least very little) and so it appears very dark or black to us. Objects such as your black pants which absorb all visible colors also tend to absorb infrared which we think of as heat. But all light is energy and an object absorbs energy it becomes hotter. Black objects are the the most efficient absorbers of energy and so become hotter under the sun that other colors.

White objects reflect most of the light that hits them. Since this energy is not absorbed the white object stays cooler.

Answer 2

White clothing reflects colors across the entire visible spectrum, and that is what makes it white (white is a combination of every visible color). The reflection of these colors into your eyes is what makes you see it as white.

Black clothing absorbs visible light across the entire spectrum (black is the absence of color). No color is reflected, hence it appears black.

Just as black and white have opposite properties with visible light, they also have the same opposite properties with infrared radiation. The infrared spectrum is just outside the wavelength of the the visible spectrum, so they often have similar properties with materials (for example, a mirror can reflect heat from the sun).

A majority of energy from the sun is in the form of radiant heat, or infrared radiation. White reflects this "light" and doesn't heat up, whereas black abosorbs this light (and all of its energy) and does heat up.

Answer 3

Understand that the reason why your pants are black, the colour black absorb a wider range of wavelength from the sun, that's why you don't see any colour except black because all the colours of wavelenght are absorbed; the colour white reflect a wider range back to the environment. Therefore, the colour black absorbs energy (heat) more than the colour white does.

Answer 4

Because lighter colors reflect like. Thus the photons coming from sunlight hit the surface and then bounce back to somewhere else. Darker colors won't do the same thing, thus retaining the photons which release energy causing heat.

Answer 5

Because sunlight is white light. So black reflects dark pigments causing the sun to be attracted to the darkness. Because they are opposites. Like boys and girls and cats and dogs.

Answer 6

confident, black absorbs extra image voltaic than the different mix of colors - it extremely is why curiously black. It absorbs very almost each and all of the gentle that reaches it, hence reflects not one of the gentle on your eyes. each time gentle is absorbed by potential of rely, it somewhat is converted to warmth. a sturdy test, in case you reside the place there is snow on the floor this time of year, it to place products of cloth or cardboard or diverse colours (jointly with black and white) on suitable of the snow on a sunny day, and see which of them soften into the snow extra desirable than the others.

Answer 7

It has to do with albedo. Albedo is a measure of reflectivity of an object. Black has a low albedo which means it absorbs more of the sunlight and white has a high albedo which means it reflects more of the sunlight.

Answer 8

The color that U see, black, is the only one being reflected...meaning all other colors (and their light energies) are being absorbed.

If the color that U see is white, it means that all colors (which when combined produce "white") are being reflected...and so are their light energies.

Light energy can be transformed into heat.

Answer 9

White reflects light and black absorbs it.

Things look black because they don't reflect back any light. Things look white because they reflect all visible light.

Things that absorb more light will absorb more energy and get hotter.

Answer 10

white relects heat,black is the opposite and it varies all the way down the spectrum.